Pritzker Pledges Additional $160M To Assist Asylum Seekers In IL

ILLINOIS — The State of Illinois will invest an additional $160 million to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis linked to the arrival of 24,000 migrants seeking asylum from the U.S. southern border, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.

The funding will be provided through the Illinois Department of Human Services, Pritzker said. State officials, along with local partners, have led a comprehensive data-driven analysis of the ongoing asylum seeker response, which is rooted in not only data but also input from frontline partners and new arrivals, which identified several "bottlenecks" where services and resettlement tended to slow, the governor said.

These bottlenecks included delays in initial intake at landing sites, access to shelter, and the transition to independent living. This has led to backlogs and capacity issues, most visible in individuals sleeping outside police stations, but more broadly across the process.

"With Congress likely unwilling to act, and with lives of innocent people at stake, the hurdles we face seem far beyond the scope of any one state - and yet, everything we can do, we must do,” Pritzker said in a news release. "Today I am laying out a comprehensive data-driven plan to improve the response to this humanitarian crisis and amplify the effectiveness of our investments with the end goal of moving asylum seekers out of our system of care and on to independence."

The bottlenecks created the need for the state to take a new approach, which led to the additional funding that was announced on Thursday. The plan includes:

An additional $30 million $30 will be provided to set up a large intake center to centrally welcome and comprehensively coordinate new arrivals, prioritizing onward movement, Pritzker said.

The added financial investment will ensure a more integrated approach across state, county, city, and community-based organizations but will also ensure better support for those coming to Chicago who are seeking another final destination, or who have sponsors in Illinois and don't require shelter, which creates a better maintaining shelter capacity as a whole. With this approach, data indicates the number of new arrivals requiring shelter can be reduced by 10 percent.

A total of $65 million will be provided to help the City of Chicago launch a winterized soft shelter site providing temporary housing for up to 2,000 people at any given time for six months. These beds will be prioritized for families and individuals with disabilities currently sleeping outdoors, on police station floors, and at the airport.

This will ensure a safe and warm place to live during the winter months and allow for the provision of the wraparound services the State currently funds at Chicago shelters. This site will operate as part of the existing City of Chicago shelter system, the governor said.

Finally, $65 million in increased funding will go toward expanding the wraparound services the State currently provides at Chicago shelters which enable new arrivals to live independently as they await asylum hearings, including case management, legal services, work permit processing, and workforce development support. State officials will continue to provide the rental assistance that allows asylum seekers to transition from shelters to independent living, according to a news release.

Thursday’s announcement of additional funding builds on $478 million in state funding that has been provided or committed to the asylum seeker response over fiscal years 2023 and 2024. This includes direct funding to the City of Chicago and other municipalities assisting asylum seekers as well as substantial State funding for shelter, food, medical care, rental assistance, and wraparound casework and services.

"IDHS remains committed to supporting asylum-seeking children, families, and individuals during this humanitarian crisis. As a welcoming state, we offer a variety of services to refugees and those experiencing homelessness," said Dulce Quintero, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services "Through Governor Pritzker's leadership and these new investments, wraparound services will be bolstered - ensuring more new arrivals are empowered to find avenues to self-sufficiency."